Forget about Orson Scott Card and John C. Wright, here are eight gay-inclusive sci-fi/fantasy writers

Last week might have been a tough one for gay fans of science fiction and fantasy. Not only was Orson Scott Card's homophobia being discussed thanks to the release of Shadow Complex, but Nebula Award nominee John C. Wright put his homophobia on display.

However, sci-fi readers have a few options when it comes to finding writers who include GLBT people in their vision of the universe. If you're looking to find a gay-friendly voice to support, here are eight possibilities to consider.

Steven Harper Piziks
(The Silent Empire Series)

When Harper Piziks started out on his popular Silent Empire series, he wasn't looking to add to the list of science fiction's gay heroes. The series' started when Piziks saw The Phantom Menace with friends and talked about how to better examine the idea of a galactic empire, and hotshot pilot Kendi Weaver was originally intended to be a secondary character, along with his partner Ben. However, Piziks quickly found Kendi taking the spotlight in the series, leading to each book getting a nomination for the Gaylatic Spectrum Award.

Mercedes Lackey
(The Last Herald-Mage Trilogy)

Mercedes Lackey seized the attention of gay fantasy readers in 1989 when the first of The Last Herald Mage books, Magic's Pawn hit the bookstore shelves. The trilogy gave gay fans Vanyel Ashkevron, a young noble who seems unpromising until he is sent to live at his aunt's castle. There, he falls in love with a young man studying with Vanyel's aunt, Tylendel. When Tylendel dies suddenly, the tragedy awakens his magic talents, setting him on a path to be a legend for the kingdom of Valdemar.

For a long time after that, Vanyel stood out as a rare case on the sci-fi/fantasy section of the bookstore. At the time, it was rare to see GLBT characters and when you did, they would be found in more highbrow novels more interested in examining the human condition than offering an entertaining diversion. Not only was Magic's Pawn a book meant for mainstream audiences with a gay hero, Vanyel's love for Tylendel is pivotal to the story.

Robert J. Sawyer
(The Neanderthal Parallax Trilogy)

You might be hearing more about Sawyer soon - his 1999 novel Flashforward is the basis of a similarly-titled series debuting on ABC in September. Sawyer also has a gay-inclusive trilogy in his history as The Neanderthal Parallax explores an alternate earth where Neanderthals became the dominant species. The modern-day Neanderthals (or, as they're known in the books, Barast) have a society where bisexuality is the norm. Male and females live separately, save for four days out of each month and most barast have two spouses - an opposite-sex partner who has a role in procreation and raising children, and a same-sex partner who provides companionship when the male and female tribes are separate.

William Sleator
(House of Stairs)

Every year when Banned Books Week comes around, gay-inclusive young adult books like Geography Club and Rainbow Boys are a part of the list. Gay characters in young adult books often draw controversy. Maybe the science fiction got people to overlook it, or maybe Sleator outed the character with a subtle enough touch ... but Peter, the hero in Sleator's 1974 House of Stairs was gay. The character's sexuality was obscured by his own immaturity but his fond memories of Jasper make it clear that Peter was in love with the boy. Sleator's novels haven't included gay characters (or romantic relationships in general) since House of Stairs, though he contributed a story to Am I Blue, the first anthology of YA fiction in 1994.

Samuel R. Delany
(Dhalgren)

While I've often found Delany's style of writing too daunting to get far in his work, his groundbreaking history has encouraged me to keep trying. Delaney has identified as gay since adolescence, which is impressive considering that he grew up in the 50's, long before the Stonewall Riots and the concept of gay pride. Similarly, Delany was one of the first science fiction writers to explore gay themes in his work, which gave other science fiction writers an example of how to include more gay themes in sci-fi. In 2007, The Polymath, or, The Life and Opinions of Samuel R. Delany, Gentleman, a documentary about Delany, debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Joe Haldeman
(The Forever War)

Haldeman's 1974 novel The Forever War is well-known for its anti-war message, which was largely based on his experiences in Vietnam. Gay sci-fi fans also remember The Forever War for its inclusion of a society that encouraged homosexuality as a way to control population growth. Due to traveling at near light speed, The Forever War's hero, William Mandella ages more slowly than human society and in between his travels he find things have changed dramatically each time, including finding that a world where his heterosexuality is no longer the norm.

Octavia Butler
(The Patternmaster Series), (Parable of the Sower), (Parable of the Talents)

While Butler hasn't included many gay characters in her work, social hierarchies and discrimination are such a strong theme to her work that it's no surprise when one of the major villains of The Parable of the Talents is a homophobic politician who makes gays and immigrants a scapegoat for the broken society of the Parable books. (Overall, there's a strong religious theme to the Parables, giving Butler's condemnation of homophobia a strong, spiritual righteousness.) Meanwhile in the Lilith's Brood trilogy, Butler introduces an alien race, the Oankali, which includes a third gender who are essential to procreation.

Robert A. Heinlein
(Stranger in a Strange Land) (Time Enough to Love)

While Heinlein's political leanings are generally hard to place, his unique voice and frequent dealing with sexuality has certainly gained him gay fans, including out writers like David Gerrold (a Star Trek writer who wrote the unproduced, gay-inclusive episode "Blood and Fire" as well as "The Trouble with Tribbles") and Thomas Disch (who wrote an essay on gay themes in Heinlein's work). Heinlein's philosophies are hard to miss in books like Stranger in a Strange Land and Time Enough to Love. In Stranger Heinlein advocated for polyamory and included gay characters while the hero of Time Enough advocates for gay acceptance.

That, however, is just a sample of the gay-inclusive authors out there. Which ones have we missed? Let us know in the comments!